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Newcastle United fans are loving the latest news surrounding their imminent takeover after reports emerged suggesting that the UK government wouldn’t intervene in any deal.

The Telegraph claim Conservative MP Giles Watling’s request to investigate the Saudi Arabia-backed bid over piracy of sports in the Middle East state will be rejected.

Instead, the Digital, Culture, Media & Sport select committee will focus on the impact that the pandemic has had on the sectors it oversees.

It means that the only green light left to overcome is that of the Premier League, who are still undergoing the owners and directors test.

Hilariously obscure Premier League players – Can you name them all?

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The Magpies faithful have been lapping up this latest report on social media after it was relayed by popular fan account @NUFC360.

United’s takeover may be dragging on and on, but it appears as if it is slowly edging ever closer to being official.

Here’s how the supporters have been reacting…

AND in other news, Lee Ryder claim on Mike Ashley amid Newcastle takeover…

Manchester United are reportedly in the market for 23-year-old Donny van de Beek from Ajax this summer.

According to a report from Voetbal International (via Sport Witness), Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is interested in bringing the midfielder to Old Trafford and the club are ‘preparing an offer’ for him.

The report claims that, despite no official moves being made as of yet, negotiations with United are likely to ‘start soon’.

Real Madrid are also reportedly interested in snapping up the Netherlands international but the Red Devils are confident they can beat the La Liga side to his signature. However, Los Blancos have already offered €50m (£44.6m) for Van de Beek.

The attacking midfielder’s performances this season warrant such intense interest from big clubs. He has tallied eight goals and six assists in the Eredivisie this term and 10 goals and 11 assists overall (via Transfermarkt).

United have struggled this season but are on the rise and will be pushing for a spot in the Champions League once the campaign resumes this month. The addition of a clinical midfielder could be what the Reds need to continue their positive run of form into next season.

Man United’s issues with Paul Pogba are ongoing, with former Liverpool player Danny Murphy claiming the club cannot afford to play both the Frenchman and Bruno Fernandes (via Express). Reports linking Pogba away from Old Trafford have been circulating but the current financial climate has put a lot of big money moves on hold.

If the club decide to put an official bid in for Van de Beek, United could be looking at their solution to the inconsistent Pogba, who has barely featured this season. Whether the France international leaves this summer or not, he could end up being completely cast aside in favour of the Ajax man.

Van de Beek has notched up an impressive senior career total of 41 goals and 34 assists during his time in his home country and now could be the time to search for pastures new. Man United is certainly an eye-catching team and, as a player who is still young, he will have plenty of room to grow and showcase his ability in arguably the biggest league in the world.

What’s your take, United fans? Should the club sign Donny van de Beek this summer? Join the conversation in the comments below!

Liverpool will be hoping to build on their 2-0 win against Aston Villa and completely bury their previous away loss to Manchester City.

The Reds, who have already been crowned Premier League champions, got back to winning ways after their victory against a struggling Villa side on Sunday. Jurgen Klopp and his men will now gear up to for their next fixture, a trip to the Amex Stadium to face Brighton and Hove Albion.

Since Liverpool clinched the title, a few players haven’t been performing at their usual standards, which could suggest that a switch-up is on the cards for the starting XI that Klopp picks to face the Seagulls.

Transfer Tavern have predicted how the champions might set up this evening…

The team may welcome back Roberto Firmino after he was benched in favour of Divock Origi against Villa. However, the Belgian struggled to make much of an impact, failing to record a single shot, so it could be a good time to reunite the usual front three and push for maximum points.

Sadio Mane bagged himself a goal so there’s no reason why he should be dropped and Mohamed Salah is chasing this season’s Golden Boot. After Jamie Vardy’s brace against Crystal Palace, the Egyptian find himself playing catch-up on the Leicester man in the scoring charts.

Liverpool’s midfield continues to be a conundrum but Jordan Henderson should start in order to assert some structure. Naby Keita had a great game last time out, providing an assist and making two key passes, and deserves to keep his spot, with Fabinho also featuring again in order to anchor the midfield.

The back four will likely see a change or two and, in this case, it could be the two full-backs, who between them lost possession 45 times against Aston Villa (via Sofascore). For Premier League champions, that is far too high of a statistic. Trent Alexander-Arnold could drop to the bench for some overdue rest whilst Neco Williams, a substitute in the last three games, earns a spot in the starting lineup.

Andy Robertson hasn’t looked himself in the past two games, earning a woeful rating of 5.9 against Manchester City. James Milner didn’t feature on the bench on Sunday as he continues his recovery from a thigh injury so it could be a big opportunity for young left-back Yasser Larouci to step up for what would be his Premier League debut.

How do you think the Reds will set up against Brighton? Join the discussion in the comments below!

Leeds United’s promotion push has been put on hold for several months now with no real sign over whether or not the Championship will even resume to conclude the season, but left-back Barry Douglas has put a smile on the faces of some supporters this week after footage emerged on social media.

Marcelo Bielsa’s squad were one of the last teams to put an end to training when the pandemic first hit the country, and whilst they are no doubt being put under the Argentine’s strict fitness regimes, they are still clearly enjoying time with their families.

Can you get full marks on the Ultimate Leeds Quiz? Test your knowledge below…

Douglas is a player who fans have rarely seen this campaign – he’s featured in just 13 matches for a total of 615 minutes this campaign, via Transfermarkt.

Earlier this year, Football Insider reported that the 30-year-old could be let go this summer with the club looking to move on from him after slipping down the pecking order at left-back.

Here’s how fans have been reacting to the footage on Twitter…

AND in other news, Leeds fans torn over ex-star Samuel Saiz…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Aston Villa will be looking to get their Premier League campaign back on track this Saturday after a disappointing performance last time out against Wolves, but despite the defeat against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, the display from one of Dean Smith’s debutants could be giving the Villa boss a selection dilemma ahead of the clash against Newcastle.

Bjorn Engels was absent from the match-day squad for the encounter at Molineux, and making his first Premier League start, £12m summer signing Ezri Konsa stepped in at centre-back to put in an assured display against the club’s West Midlands rivals.

The 22-year-old’s passing success rate of 81.8% was only bettered by Tyrone Mings from Villa’s defensive quartet, whilst the former Brentford man also provided one key pass. 

This profile of defender – capable on the ball and able to contribute in linking up play – will be vital in Saturday’s game against Newcastle, particularly at home against a side from the bottom half of the table. Smith must look to play attacking, purposeful football in a bid to break down what will be a resilient team under the management Steve Bruce – Newcastle’s counter-attacking game-plan is evident from the fact they’ve averaged the least possession of any Premier League side this season.

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Although Engels’ has been a consistent member of the starting XI since arriving in the summer, making 11 league starts, Smith must consider whether Konsa’s performance against Wolves merits a second successive league start. While the old adage demands consistency at the back, experimenting with these defensive combinations could be crucial to the club retaining their top-flight status.

Konsa has shown his calm nature on the ball in both his league debut as well as in the Carabao Cup – where he scored in the 6-1 routing of Crewe – and giving the summer signing a chance to impress against Newcastle could be a shrewd move to break down a resilient, compact team who will be looking to hurt Villa on the break. 

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In The Pipeline series, which takes a look at some of the most promising young talent either linked with clubs or emerging from their academies…

Barcelona’s latest encounter with Celta Vigo at the Camp Nou ended up being a success as the Catalan giants strolled to a 4-1 victory in front of their own supporters.

And by all means, it was a must-win game after their two disappointing results in the previous two bouts.

First they lost to Levante in La Liga the weekend before, and then only managed to tally a goalless draw against Slavia Prague in their midweek Champions League clash.

But even though that victory over Celta Vigo was exactly what the doctor had ordered, not everything went according to plan.

Their right-back, Nelson Semedo, unfortunately got injured and had to be substituted in the first half though, making way for Sergio Busquets who entered the fray.

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And with the injury to the Portuguese defender already officially confirmed by the club and their other right-back, Sergi Roberto, unavailable for the next game due to yellow card accumulation, Ernesto Valverde might have to put his trust in a former Barcelona B player, Moussa Wague.

The 21-year-old has been officially promoted to the first team at the beginning of the 2019/20 campaign but is yet to tally a single minute of game time under his belt.

Wague has been on the bench three times in the current campaign – in the games against Osasuna, Getafe and Inter Milan – but was not called into action in any of those.

It was a rather weird decision for Valverde to take considering we’re talking about a young player that definitely needs to play in order to develop.

This begs the question: why was he even promoted if he was never going to play in the first place?

As things stand, he would’ve fared much better with Barcelona B in the Segunda Division B where at least he would be guaranteed some game time regardless of the lower-tier opposition.

And now, with both of Barcelona’s right-backs out, Valverde could very well be forced to put some trust into the young talent.

In that way, this right-back issue the team is facing could be a blessing in disguise for Wague but it remains to be seen what kind of performance can he muster considering it would be his first game with the seniors in La Liga.

One thing is sure, the fans want him to play and all eyes may very well be on the 21-year-old after the international break.

With 70 minutes gone against AFC Bournemouth, Tottenham Hotspur were 3-0 up and cruising.

However, by the time that the game was over they were hanging onto their lead by a thread, following two goals from Harry Wilson.

Despite the late struggles, Spurs’ admin celebrated the win as the final whistle blew, with the three points coming courtesy of a Dele Alli brace and volley from Moussa Sissoko.

However, there were many fans who couldn’t get past how close the team’s defence came to falling apart, especially as it wasn’t the first time.

Against West Ham United, they conceded two goals to ensure hearts were still beating quickly in the final moments, while there were also two goals conceded in the Champions League against Olympiacos.

Therefore, supporters have demanded that their team stops shipping goals, specifically at times where they should be able to comfortably secure the win.

As well as the frustration, there was appreciation shown for Jan Vertonghen and his last-ditch tackle that made sure Spurs did eventually take all three points.

This came when Callum Wilson had been released through on goal, but the Belgian was able to make a sliding intervention when the Bournemouth man was waiting for the ball to drop.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Leeds United defender Ben White has been one of the Championship’s standout players this season and has helped Marcelo Bielsa’s side to become the best defensive team in the league, conceding just seven goals.

White has played every minute of league action so far and has averaged a very respectable 7.33 rating in that time. The 22-year-old has even played both League Cup fixtures this season, starting one and coming off the bench for the other, as he continues to prove how vital he is for Leeds’ backline.

However, as the Whites failed to pencil in an option to buy when he signed on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion, it seems unlikely that the 6 foot 1 Englishman will be at Elland Road next season, especially if they fail to win promotion to the Premier League.

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Furthermore, not only will the Seagulls surely do what they can to keep him after such stellar form, it should be expected that White will be subject to heavy transfer speculation as a result. The defender is already being linked with a £20m move to Liverpool, as the Reds look to replace Dejan Lovren for the future.

Of course, it will be tough for anybody to turn down the Merseyside giants right now, considering they hold the European crown and are on a very positive course to win the Premier League title. White may not become a regular for Liverpool, but would surely consider such a lucrative move over a stay at Elland Road or even the Amex.

Truthfully, Leeds will not have a say in either matter, as White appears destined to depart regardless. Should that be the case, the Yorkshire club will miss the defender greatly especially considering he has averaged 2.4 tackles and 3.3 interceptions per game so far in the league.

Leeds and Bielsa must consider these reports and the inevitability that White will be returning to Brighton and therefore delve into the market for a new centre-back, with Gaetano Berardi also out of contract at the same time as White leaves.

Arsenal fans were left fuming after Kieran Tierney was left out of the Arsenal starting XI to play Sheffield United on Monday evening.The summer signing from Celtic has yet to make his Premier League debut following his £25m move to The Emirates.He has, however, played in both the Europa League and the Carabao Cup – against Standard Liege and Nottingham Forest respectively – though Unai Emery opted against utilising him in the clash with Chris Wilder’s men at Bramall Lane.Sead Kolasinac played at left-back instead and fans were disappointed as the Gunners slipped to a disappointing 1-0 defeat, wasting the chance to move third in the table in the process.

Lys Mousset’s solitary goal proved decisive following Nicolas Pepe’s horror miss in the first half.

And supporters were quick to take to Twitter to slam Emery for his team selection.

Take a look at the best of the reaction on social media below!

The stopper shared an image on social media of him posing with Ross Barkley and Mason Mount in training.

Based on the smiles on the players’ faces it seems that Henderson has almost immediately settled into life as an international footballer.

If the 22-year-old continues to improve at the rate he has over recent years, he may well be an England regular one day, so it’s good to see him embracing this experience in the camp.